From breaking wild horses in Colorado to fighting the Red Baron’s squadrons in the skies over France, here in his own words is the true story of a forgotten American hero: the cowboy who became our first ace and the first pilot to fly the American colors over enemy lines. Growing up on a ranch in Sterling, Colorado, Frederick Libby mastered the cowboy arts of roping, punching cattle, and … cattle, and taming horses. As a young man he exercised his skills in the mountains and on the ranges of Arizona and New Mexico as well as the Colorado prairie. When World War I broke out, he found himself in Calgary, Alberta, and joined the Canadian army. In France, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as an “observer,” the gunner in a two-person biplane. Libby shot down an enemy plane on his first day in battle over the Somme, which was also the first day he flew in a plane or fired a machine gun. He went on to become a pilot. He fought against the legendary German aces Oswald Boelcke and Manfred von Richthofen, and became the first American to down five enemy planes. He won the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry in action.
Libby’s memoir of his cowboy days in the last years of the Old West evokes a real-life Cormac McCarthy novel. His description of World War I combines a rattling good account of the air war over France with captivating and sometimes poignant depictions of wartime London, the sorrow for friends lost in combat, and the courage and camaraderie of the Royal Flying Corps. Told in charming, straightforward vernacular, Horses Don’t Fly is an unforgettable piece of Americana.
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Mr. Libby – were you alive today, I would resolve to find you and call you my friend. You never asked for anything and you took what life handed out. You found your happiness and your friends. I suspect you never abandoned the latter. Thank you for your life story. I can’t believe you did it. As a mechanical engineer I’m fascinated but what you did but I suspect that many others would find your story intriguing and thought provoking. Thank you!
So wonderfully unique and honest! I have passed this book around my family and can’t wait to read it again myself. What a treasure!
Excellent read. Gives a real feel for the people, time, and events.
Great read about an era and advances that are sliding into the fog of our increasingly turbulent past.
A true story written by a cowboy turned WWI flying ace. LIke sitting down with grandpop wile he tells of his younger years, the author is totally not pretentious or self-important. But the story, the characters, the history…wonderful!
Got the impression that the book was not really written by the author, but by his grand daughter from the authors notes.
Story of British RAF during the beginning days of WWII. An American who became a pilot for the RAF and his story.
I thought is was very interesting.
Interesting true story. The person went through all sorts of exciting experiences and then came down with a crippling disease and still was successful. Explains much of the politics and failure of military to recognize the future of the airplanes. Much like the Navy failed to recognize the future of aircraft carriers rather than battleships as the future of how wars would be fought.
It was great set up most of the night reading
WWI hero and cowboy biography. The writing style was not professional but the true story keep my attention. Finished the book in two readings while stopping to read sections out loud to my wife. The author put himself into the book and gave his own opinions about life, the government, war, and family. I felt at home with him as if he was one of my uncles from the WWII generation.
Amazing life story of a WWI pilot. Great description of ranch life and horses in late 19th and early 20 th century.
True story, true hero. Good glimpse at life early in the last century. Personal values so much better then than now, you wonder how we went so wrong. Good read.
This book is SO good. Hard to remember this isn’t fiction.
Well written concerning early 20th century America and glimpse of WWI air war in Europe
I had never realized what a small role the U.S. played in the aerial history of the first world war. The recollections of this pilot were fascinating to read.
Great (true) story of a determined young man during WW1. Quite a bit of pre-war detail but it demonstrates the character that led to a hero’s performance in the war. A very good read.
Historical, nonfiction read. Gives appreciation of WW I era. Story of true American hero.
I quite enjoyed this book, I am a big fan of Great War aerial combat stories, and this one of the better ones.
It was a great read, I was stationed at Luke AFB AZ. Nice to know about the bases name.
Remarkable life story; cowboy and horse-breaker, adventures all around the west.
Goes to France for short employment connected to world war 1, gets to be very good airman in early warplane, miraculously survives continuous combat.